Take A Break, Harris Tells Employees

COCOA — Harris Corp. is requiring the 3,400 employees in its semiconductor sector to take five days of paid vacation within the next two months.

Jim Murphy, spokesman for the Melbourne-based Fortune 500 company, said that Harris anticipated a pickup in the semiconductor business later this year and that the latest action will ''ensure that we have maximum productivity at that time.''

The company has attributed a 33.1 percent drop in earnings in its second fiscal quarter to a loss in its semiconductor sector and reduced earnings in its information-systems sector. Analysts have said that Harris should share in the improvement expected this year in the semiconductor industry.

In December, the company merged its analog and digital-products divisions to form the Semiconductor Products Division, eliminating 100 administrative and management jobs. It also shut down its semiconductor sector from Dec. 20 to Jan. 6, forcing employees to take four days of unpaid vacation along with accrued vacation and holiday time.

Murphy said that the vacations will be taken between now and March 28 but that the time off would be structured to keep the division operating.

Roger Manley, head of the management department at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, described the action as a ''commendable attempt'' to avoid layoffs.

From an accounting standpoint, Manley said, the ordering of vacations, which are considered a debt to be paid, will remove liabilities from the semiconductor division's balance sheet and thus improve its overall financial profile.

There is widespread talk, Manley said, that the semiconductor division is up for sale. If that is true, he said, ''You want to seem attractive to a prospective bridegroom.''